Barding (also spelled bard or barb) is body armour for war horses. The practice of armoring horses was first extensively developed in antiquity in the eastern kingdoms of Parthia and Pahlava. Was horse armor a real thing? Although its history Read more…
In the West, horses dispersed quickly along Native American trading routes—first from the Pueblo to the Navajo, Ute, and Apache. The Comanche on the southern Plains traded them north to their kinsmen the Shoshone. How did Native Americans react to Read more…
Throughout the Middle Ages in Europe, knights and their horses wore steel armor. Such armor is heavy, often weighing more than 50 pounds (23 kilograms) for the horse, and as many for the rider. How much does horse armor weigh? Read more…
The true horse migrated from the Americas to Eurasia via Beringia, becoming broadly distributed from North America to central Europe, north and south of Pleistocene ice sheets. It became extinct in Beringia around 14,200 years ago, and in the rest Read more…
The image of American Indians on horseback is iconic, but indigenous populations didn’t actually encounter horses until the 15th century, when Europeans ironically brought them to America as weapons of conquest. The Comanche adopted the horse as an important ally Read more…
Fourteen horses. Fourteen horses played Joey during the movie. The main acting horse in the film, Finder’s Key, also portrayed Seabiscuit (2003) in the eponymous movie about the famous racehorse. How many horses were used for Joey in War Horse? Read more…
During the 16th Century the Spanish Conquistadors transported horses to the New World by boat. How were horses transported in the 1800s? By row boat. If shipping horses on oar-powered boats sounds like a terrible, terrible idea, it was even Read more…
Riding hats were first worn in the late 18th century as a fashion item, rather than for safety reasons. Today, a hat is vital to protect the rider’s head, as without the necessary safety wear, falling from a horse can Read more…
Extinct, but not lost The last European wild horse died out as late as in 1909. Before that, wild horses roamed through most of Europe’s ecosystems, from deserts, steppes and savannahs to deep forests and high mountains. It was exterminated Read more…
Horses were first domesticated in the Pontic-Caspian steppes, northern Caucasus, before conquering the rest of Eurasia within a few centuries. Which country did horses originate from? Horses, the scientists conclude, were first domesticated 6000 years ago in the western part Read more…